Material handling implement



Aug. 25, 1964 J. O. ROBERGE MATERIAL HANDLING IMPLEMENT Filed July 6, 1962 1/ [I'll IIIIIIII III,

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII'I' INVENT OR JOSEPH QROBERGE BY W Z ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,146,015 MATERIAL HANDLING IMPLEMENT Joseph 0. Roberge, Cody Garrett, Rte. 1, Caldwell, Idaho Filed July 6, 1962, Ser. No. 207,983 3 Claims. (Cl. 294-19) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in material handling implements, and the principal object of the invention is to provide an improved, hand manipulated implement or device which may be conveniently and effectively employed for picking up various objects from the ground or floor, without the necessity of stooping or bending over.

This object is attained by the provision of a pick-up device which includes an elongated handle having a fixed jaw and a movable jaw at one end thereof with resilient means biasing the movable jaw away from the fixed jaw, and a hand actuated trigger at the other end of the handle, operatively connected to the movable jaw for moving the latter toward the fixed jaw so that an object to be picked up is received therebetween.

Although the pick-up device in accordance with the invention has utility in various different environments, it is particularly intended for use in and around the home for picking up debris off the floor, litter from driveways and sidewalks, stones from gardens and the like.

An important feature of the invention resides in the provision of resiliently compressible jaw faces on the fixed and movable jaws of the device, so as to facilitate picking up and gripping of various objects, particularly small objects, in an efiicient manner.

Another important feature of the invention resides in the provision of a permanent magnet on one of the jaws of the device, so that metallic objects, capable of magnetic attraction, may be readily picked up by bringing the magnet in contact therewith.

Some of the advantages of the invention reside in its simplicity of construction, efficient and convenient operation, and in its adaptability to economical manufacture.

With the foregoing more important object and features in view and such other objects and features as may become apparent as this specification proceeds, the invention will be understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference are used to designate like parts, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical sectional View of a pick-up device in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view thereof, with the movable jaw in its open position; and

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary elevational view, taken in the direction of the arrow 3 in FIGURE 1.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the pick-up device or implement in accordance with the invention is designated generally by the reference numeral and embodies in its construction an elongated, tubular handle 11 which is provided at one end thereof with a laterally angulated hand grip portion 12, while the other end, which is the lower end of the handle 11 is provided with a fixed jaw 13. The jaw 13 may be formed separately from and suitably secured to the handle, or it may be formed integrally therewith, as desiredf In any event, a movable jaw 14 is disposed adjacent the fixed jaw for movement toward and away from the latter, the movable jaw 14 being pivotally mounted on a pin 15 extending between a pair of spaced ears 16 at one side of the lower end of the handle, as will be clearly apparent. Here again, the ears 16 may be secured to or formed integrally with the handle, as desired The jaws 13, 14 are provided with relatively wide lower end portions 13', 14', respectively (as illustrated in FIG- 3,146,015 Patented Aug.- 25, 1964 URES l and 3), and these lower end portions of the jaws are equipped with jaw faces 17 of resiliently compressible material such as sponge rubber, or the like. By virtue thereof, the device is able to pick up and grip various objects, especially small objects, with eificiency. The fixed jaw 13 also has an obliquely disposed lower face or surface 13" on which is mounted a permanent magnet 18 to facilitate expeditious picking up of metallic objects which are capable of magnetic attraction. The oblique disposition of the jaw face 13" equipped with the magnet 18 permits the magnet to be brought in contact with an object to be picked up from the ground or floor 19, while the handle 11 is conveniently held in a slanting position. The jaw faces 17 and the magnet 18 are held in place in any suitable manner, as for example, by adhesive.

The upper end portion of the movable jaw 14 is provided with an extension 20 which projects through a recess 21 between the ears 16 into the lower end portion of the handle 11 and has pivotally connected thereto as at 22 the lower end of a rod or link 23. The latter passes freely through the tubular handle 11 and has its upper end pivoted, as at 24, to one end of a trigger 25, the other end of the trigger being pivotally mounted in the hand grip portion 12 by means of a pin 26. The hand grip portion 12 is provided at the underside thereof with a slot 27 through which the trigger 25 projects outwardly, so that it may be conveniently depressed from the position shown in FIGURE 2 to that shown in FIGURE 1, by the fingers of a users hand holding the hand grip portion 12. Such depression of the trigger will cause the link 23 to slide upwardly in the handle 11, which movement will be translated by the jaw extension 20 to move the movable jaw 14 from its open position (shown in FIGURE 2) toward the fixed jaw 13 (as shown in FIGURE 1), so that an article to be picked up may be gripped between the jaw faces 17 of the two jaws.

A tension spring 28 has one end thereof anchored as at 22 to the extension 20 of the jaw 14, while its other end is anchored to a suitable eye, or the like, 29, secured to the fixed jaw 13. The spring 28 thus biases the movable jaw 14 away from the fixed jaw 13 when finger pressure on the trigger 25 is relaxed, in which event the jaws are normally separated as shown in FIGURE 2 and are ready to receive an article to be picked up therebetween.

While in the foregoing there has been described and shown the preferred embodiment of the invention, various modifications may become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates. Accordingly, it is not desired to limit the invention to this disclosure, and various modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is:

l. A pick-up device, comprising in combination a tubular handle having a laterally angulated hand grip portion at one end thereof and being open at its other end, a fixed jaw projecting longitudinally from one side of said open other end of said handle, the open end portion of said handle being provided at the side thereof opposite said fixed jaw with an elongated recess communicating with the open end of the handle, an apertured ear provided externally on said handle at one side of said recess, a movable jaw pivoted to said ear for movement toward and away from said fixed jaw, an extension provided on said movable jaw and projecting inwardly through said recess into said open end portion of the handle, a tension spring disposed between said jaws and connected at one end thereof to the fixed jaw, the other end of said spring being connected to said extension of the movable jaw whereby to bias the movable jaw away from the fixed jaw, a depressible trigger movably mounted in and projecting outwardly from said hand grip portion, and a link extending longitudinally and wholly contained in said handle, one end of said link being connected to said movable jaw extension and the other end thereof being connected to said trigger, whereby the movable jaw may be moved toward the fixed jaw against the action of said spring when the trigger is depressed.

2. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein said fixed jaw has an outer face disposed in a plane oblique to the axis of said handle, and a permanent magnet provided on said outer face of the fixed jaw.

3. The device as defined in claim 1 together with jaw faces provided on said jaws and formed from resiliently compressible material, said jaw faces having flat abutting surfaces when said movable jaw is moved toward the fixed jaw.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS Sweden of 1892 

1. A PICK-UP DEVICE, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A TUBULAR HANDLE HAVING A LATERALLY ANGULATED HAND GRIP PORTION AT ONE END THEREOF AND BEING OPEN AT ITS OTHER END, A FIXED JAW PROJECTING LONGITUDINALLY FROM ONE SIDE OF SAID OPEN OTHER END OF SAID HANDLE, THE OPEN END PORTION OF SAID HANDLE BEING PROVIDED AT THE SIDE THEREOF OPPOSITE SAID FIXED JAW WITH AN ELONGATED RECESS COMMUNICATING WITH THE OPEN END OF THE HANDLE, AN APERTURED EAR PROVIDED EXTERNALLY ON SAID HANDLE AT ONE SIDE OF SAID RECESS, A MOVABLE JAW PIVOTED TO SAID EAR FOR MOVEMENT TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID FIXED JAW, AN EXTENSION PROVIDED ON SAID MOVABLE JAW AND PROJECTING INWARDLY THROUGH SAID RECESS INTO SAID OPEN END PORTION OF THE HANDLE, A TENSION SPRING DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID JAWS AND CONNECTED AT ONE END THEREOF TO THE FIXED JAW, THE OTHER END OF SAID SPRING BEING CONNECTED TO SAID EXTENSION OF THE MOVABLE JAW WHEREBY TO BIAS THE MOVABLE JAW AWAY FROM THE FIXED JAW, A DEPRESSIBLE TRIGGER MOVABLY MOUNTED IN AND PROJECTING OUTWARDLY FROM SAID HAND GRIP PORTION, AND A LINK EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY AND WHOLLY CONTAINED IN SAID HANDLE, ONE END OF SAID LINK BEING CONNECTED TO SAID MOVABLE JAW EXTENSION AND THE OTHER END THEREOF BEING CONNECTED TO SAID TRIGGER, WHEREBY THE MOVABLE JAW MAY BE MOVED TOWARD THE FIXED JAW AGAINST THE ACTION OF SAID SPRING WHEN THE TRIGGER IS DEPRESSED. 